Sci Ripples

50 Amazing Facts about the Moon

SpaceX has recently announced that in the year 2018 it plans to send a couple (identity kept secret for now) for a casual trip around the ...

Whatever you may call it - Cup-A- Joe, Kaapi (the pipping hot filtered brew that is the key to a south Indian's heart) or simply - Coffee, you have got to admit there are a few things in the world that are as universal as coffee. Whether you are up in the mountains sipping a hot cup or down in the rain forests in the Amazon, coffee is every where and every one is drinking it.

The origins of coffee is still a huge debate among enthusiasts, while documented consumption of coffee did not arrive till the 17^th century- the Oromo People of Ethiopia are sort of credited for the discovery of the coffee berry, which is claimed to be in use since the 9^th century.

An Oromo Tribesman relishing his cup- of coffee (Love the cup though)

The coffee bean was a closely guarded secret of the Middle East. So whatever coffee left the region was roasted or boiled and sterilized to avoid cultivation, but it was a Sufi Baba Budan who first smuggled it outside the region which led to the spread of the bean throughout the world. It is believed that he smuggled 7 beans, by strapping them to his chest. These beans were then planted in Mysore.

Baba Budan the man who brought coffee to india

Archaic poster of what I can only presume is Baba Budan (mostly because it says so on the poster)

Not surprisingly then, caffeine is the number one psychoactive drug used today in the world. Consumed via, coffee, tea, cola drinks, chocolate and even pills, every body it seems is in a constant need to stay up and about.

Coffee

Like any other drug, caffeine is lethal at a stupendously high dose, about 100 cups of coffee in a day, which can be lethal to the human body. But at its lower dose, caffeine like any other drug has its benefits.

Methylexanthine has a similar structure to adenosine, which basically signals your brain that it has to shut down for a bit, making you feel more and more sleepy. if you are at work, or at class, you reach out to your nearest caffeine dispenser. When coffee enter your system the methylxanthine molecule goes and binds to adenosine receptors giving you a feeling of alertness.

Bees too seem to respond to caffeine in a positive manner too. In fact plants seem to be using caffeine to their benefit. Although the drug is meant for the plants defences, recently a study showed that caffeine did more than just that. A study published in the journal of Science (G.A. Wright, 2013), showed that caffeine in the plant’s nectar enhanced the memory of bees. It was observed that bees that were rewarded with caffeine remembered the floral scent more keenly, even after a period of 72 hours, which is quite remarkable.

DISCLAIMER this is NOT an exact representation

In fact caffeine is also being studied as a combined drug therapy to treat Parkinson’s disease. Regular intake of caffeine, in men is also theorised to reduce the risk of Parkinson’s disease. However the interesting point is that in women however there seems to be a reversal, while in men regular caffeine consumption keeps Parkinson’s at bay, women who have more than 6 cups daily are at a 4 fold risk of acquiring the disease, while women who have less than a cup of coffee daily, seem to be protected from the disease. While a regular caffeine boast during a life time seems to do well to keep Parkinson’s at bay, while you get the disease however, caffeine seems to have no effect.

Interesting Reads plus my resources !

Coffee Kills

Bees Nectar and caffeine

caffeine - 20.2.17

Coffee Good for us, may be!

Whatever you may call it - Cup-A- Joe, Kaapi (the pipping hot filtered brew that is the key to a south Indian's heart) or simply - Cof...

Earth - 5.10.16

Who calculated the Circumference of the Earth?

We know that our Earth is massive and has a circumference of just over 40,000 kilometers. But spare a thought to how we actually foun...

Do you miss those days of the lab, where you spent hours waiting for your gel to run or your protein to precipitate, the long talks by guest faculties and agony of waiting for your lecturer to respond to your email. You may no longer be a part of the academia but being in the lab has become easy once again.

Welcome to Lab Wars, a simple card game that takes you through the thrills (the rarity of the lab) and the chills of being in the lab and lets you live the pressures faced by Principal Investigators and the Post Docs. The game is all about building your reputation and specializing in your subject area but beware of other players who are trying to build theirs and might go to any levels to damage your reputation.

Lab Wars Card Game. Image credit: Lab Wars

The game can be played with up to 5 players, who are part of the research team but each with unique set of skills that can enhance his/her reputation. With 80 Lab items up for grabs, you can try and get them to boost your reputation while staying guarded against the action cards that can bring you down or boost your reputation further with bonuses. The best part is that all the cards are based on real events that happen in the lab so that you can live the Lab Life again in a less than an hour. The player who ends up with the highest reputation at the end, wins the game!

But there is a small hurdle to cross. Lab Wars Card Game is still a concept. The team of Kuly Heer and Caezar Al-Jassar has put in all its efforts to design the cards, the gameplay, the beautiful box and needs your support to produce them on a large scale. Labs Wars is now Live on KickStarter and aims to raise £ 5000 to bring their dreams into reality.

Show your support to this wonderful idea by donating or simply spreading the word to as many people as you can. You can follow Lab Wars on Facebook or on Twitter to know more about their campaign.

The game developers were inspired by Michael Brooks book, The Secret Anarchy of Science. To know what inspired them, follow the Amazon Link below.